Imora’s strike appeared devastating, yet it had no effect.
Nora remained unscathed, as though she wasn’t even present within the fire field anymore.
Imora hovered mid-air, scanning her surroundings in search of Nora.
But no matter how sharp her senses or how powerful her strikes, she couldn’t locate her opponent.
Without being able to pinpoint Nora’s position, any attack was futile.
“What’s going on? Why has Nora… disappeared entirely?”
“Could she have retreated to the transition point? But there’s no sign of her there either!”
“Does the fire field—or perhaps the five fields as a whole—hold secrets we don’t yet understand?”
“And if so, how did Nora discover them? She’s been in full view of us the entire time!”
Even the spectators were baffled.
Nora’s disappearance defied explanation, and theories swirled among the audience.
At that moment, something new emerged.
Around Imora, red mana threads began to materialize once more.
The crowd recognized them immediately as the same threads Nora had deployed during her time in the wood field.
Back then, their purpose had been unclear, but now they were about to witness their true power.
Imora’s gaze fixed on the mana threads surrounding her.
She knew they were Nora’s doing and remained on guard.
Yet she couldn’t help but wonder: how had Nora managed to overcome the oppressive fire field rule and cast such intricate magic?
By all logic, Nora should have been unable to react in time.
Imora’s initial strike had come mere moments after Nora entered the fire field. Escaping unscathed should have been impossible. And yet, Nora had done it.
“How did you overcome the fire field’s rule so quickly?” Imora asked, her voice tinged with disbelief.
Nora appeared before her, calm and unbothered by the oppressive heat.
“What does it matter?” Nora replied with a faint smile.
“This is impossible! You’ve only been here for a few breaths—there’s no way you’ve mastered the fire field’s rule!”
“Is that so? It wasn’t difficult,” Nora said casually, as if her feat was nothing special.
The audience was stunned.
“Not difficult?” someone muttered in disbelief. “She’s joking, right? That’s impossible!”
From the moment Nora entered the fire field to the instant of Imora’s attack, only a few breaths had passed.
Mastering a field’s rule in such a short time was unheard of.
If it were truly that simple, then why had Yesar and others spent so long comprehending the rules of their respective fields?
Even Imora herself had taken considerable time to adapt.
“Ridiculous! I don’t believe it!” Imora snarled, slashing her sword again. Her strike, infused with the fire field’s rule, was aimed directly at Nora.
But once again, Nora evaded the attack effortlessly.
This time, the red mana threads around Imora began to solidify.
In an instant, they launched themselves toward her like a swarm of serpents. Imora hurriedly raised her sword to block.
She hadn’t expected the mana threads to be an offensive weapon.
The intricate design and sheer quantity of threads left her stunned.
“How much mana does it take to create something like this?” she wondered, her mind racing.
The complexity of the threads was astounding.
If they all attacked simultaneously, even Imora would struggle to fend them off.
Yet she wasted no time.
With a powerful sweep of her sword, she severed every thread in her vicinity.
The severed threads dissipated into the air, and Imora smirked triumphantly.
“Is that all you’ve got?” she mocked.
To her, the threads had been a minor inconvenience, easily dealt with in a single strike.
Watching from the audience, Nina grew anxious.
“This is bad! That was Nora’s ultimate technique, and it didn’t work against Imora!” she exclaimed.
Nina had seen Nora use this magic before. It was more than just a spell—it created a pocket dimension, a space entirely under Nora’s control.
Yet now, it seemed powerless against Imora’s overwhelming strength.
If Imora kept severing the mana threads, the pocket dimension would collapse.
And if that happened, Nora would lose her most significant advantage.
While Nina panicked, Daniel remained calm, his eyes fixed on the projection.
“Don’t rush to conclusions. Just keep watching,” he said.
In the projection, Imora continued her relentless assault, cutting down the mana threads one by one.
Meanwhile, Nora finally moved, stepping forward to meet Imora head-on.
Their weapons clashed, the impact shaking the ground beneath them.
To everyone’s astonishment, Nora was holding a harp.
Despite its delicate appearance, the harp withstood Imora’s sword, which was known for its unparalleled sharpness.
The two seemed evenly matched, a sight no one had expected.
Imora had effortlessly slain Yesar with a single strike.
Yet here was Nora, not only surviving but standing toe-to-toe with her.
As their weapons collided again and again, the ground crumbled beneath their feet.
Despite this, Imora began to smile, a glint of understanding in her eyes.
“I see now,” she said. “This isn’t the true fire field. It’s your creation—a small world crafted by your magic. And these red mana threads… they’re the key to maintaining it!”
Imora’s sharp perception allowed her to discern the truth.
While the space around them resembled the fire field, it was fundamentally different.
It was Nora’s magic at work, a carefully constructed illusion supported by the mana threads.
“If that’s the case,” Imora declared, “then I just need to destroy them all!”
With a sweeping strike, Imora unleashed a wave of energy, obliterating the remaining mana threads.
As the threads vanished, the illusion shattered.
The two combatants were transported back to the real fire field.
The ground showed no signs of the battle that had taken place in the pocket dimension—only the crater left by Imora’s earlier attack remained.
“So, that’s how you dodged my first strike,” Imora said, piecing it all together. “You used that miniature world of yours. But now that it’s gone, I doubt you’ll be able to summon it again so soon. This is the end for you!”
Imora’s sword radiated an intense, murderous aura.
Her mastery of the fire field’s rule was evident in the overwhelming power she exuded.
Nora had overcome the fire field’s oppressive rule, but Imora wasn’t about to give her another chance to counter.
This time, she would finish the fight with a single, decisive blow.
Imora surged forward, her sword glowing with fiery energy.
In an instant, she was upon Nora, her blade aimed straight for her heart.
“Die!” Imora shouted as her sword pierced through Nora’s chest—or so it seemed.
Imora froze, her eyes widening in shock.
Nora remained calm, her expression unchanging.
She looked directly at Imora, her gaze steady and unwavering.
Her lips moved silently, forming two simple words:
“It’s over.”